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Phoenix Coldon, a junior at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, has been missing since Dec. 18, 2011. Phoenix was last seen in the driveway of the family's home at about 3 p.m.

The Coldon family lost their life savings and their home because of a cruel hoax that led to a false lead in the disappearance of their daughter.

Please take a moment and let Phoenix's family know you care. Please CLICK HERE and read about the case of missing Phoenix Coldon

I was just wondering -- what is the WS policy regarding rumor? Some threads seem to get mired in it, and I'm not faulting posters or mods here. But are posters permitted to introduce rumor for discussion, or not? I have often seen people preface comments with things like "This is rumor, but...", or say that they've read a rumor on topix, or that they've heard something through the gossip network -- and then they post what amounts to rumor. Does the TOS permit people to post rumor/gossip/hearsay?
Please forgive me if this is the wrong thread. For me, it matters -- one thing I love about WS is that there are some standards here regarding what counts as valid evidence for discussion.

I was just wondering -- what is the WS policy regarding rumor? Some threads seem to get mired in it, and I'm not faulting posters or mods here. But are posters permitted to introduce rumor for discussion, or not? I have often seen people preface comments with things like "This is rumor, but...", or say that they've read a rumor on topix, or that they've heard something through the gossip network -- and then they post what amounts to rumor. Does the TOS permit people to post rumor/gossip/hearsay?
Please forgive me if this is the wrong thread. For me, it matters -- one thing I love about WS is that there are some standards here regarding what counts as valid evidence for discussion.

This is not a cut and dry question. If there was a bank robbery and they said their friend the teller had a gun stuck to her head and that wasn't in the MSM, I would let that fly. If they said their friend the teller said the robber said he had murdered Jon Benet, I would remove it immediately.

In other words, it depends on how much it can hurt the family or the investigation. Oftentimes we've seen missing cases where rumors fly that the victims have been found. Kyron Horman's case even had the media make such a report one evening and it spread like wild fire. Rumors like that can crush a family. Websleuths has a huge reader base and we want to do what we can to keep things from mushrooming into lies.

It's a tough balance though. Moderators don't read every post and sometimes by the time a rumor is discovered by the Mod Squad, it is all over the place. It's hard to put the toothpaste back into the tube, as Tricia would say.

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This is not a cut and dry question. If there was a bank robbery and they said their friend the teller had a gun stuck to her head and that wasn't in the MSM, I would let that fly.

respectfully snipped!

But if someone was going to share insider information of the sort you mention, wouldn't s/he need to be verified first? I guess I should have said earlier that I wasn't talking about information from verified posters. If the poster is not verified, and provides insider information as in your example above, why should anyone trust it, other than that it is posted on WS, a moderated forum?

But if someone was going to share insider information of the sort you mention, wouldn't s/he need to be verified first? I guess I should have said earlier that I wasn't talking about information from verified posters. If the poster is not verified, and provides insider information as in your example above, why should anyone trust it, other than that it is posted on WS, a moderated forum?

We do ask that people get verified to disclose anything that is not released in the MSM. Even then, we cannot guarantee the information is accurate. Same with the MSM, too. We do what we can to get accurate information out there but nothing is guaranteed to be fact.

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Could someone please point me to info on verified status? I remember seeing that one can submit for verified status but I can no longer find the info anywhere. I want to re-read it and see who/what qualifies for verified status.
Thank you for your help.
Thespyma

Could someone please point me to info on verified status? I remember seeing that one can submit for verified status but I can no longer find the info anywhere. I want to re-read it and see who/what qualifies for verified status.
Thank you for your help.
Thespyma

Hi mods. I've seen references to ad-free subscriptions to this forum, and wonder if that is an option for registered members. I have a slow Internet connection and would gladly pay a subscription fee for an ad-free Websleuths experience. Thank you!

I was trying to search and see if there is a thread about Kimberly Ann Amero, who went missing in 1985. I wasn't able to find anything in a search (of this site) but also am not able to start a thread in that section either.

I was trying to search and see if there is a thread about Kimberly Ann Amero, who went missing in 1985. I wasn't able to find anything in a search (of this site) but also am not able to start a thread in that section either.

If a victim's family member is also a member here can we not ask them direct questions? I did that, emphasized that there was no snark involved, and it was deleted.I was neither attacking the person or "calling them out". I really wanted to know the answer because I do not want to waste time if the family member doesn't want us to do anything. I have no idea why that would be, but wanted to make sure we weren't overstepping our bounds in case they were told not to speak with us (by CUE or LE).

Also, can I post if I made contact with someone outside of the family, such as news media or homeless shelters? I apologize for my confusion, but what seems OK in some threads in not OK in others and I want to be clear. If it's different for each thread could you post the rules for each thread seperatly so there's no confusion?

If a victim's family member is also a member here can we not ask them direct questions? I did that, emphasized that there was no snark involved, and it was deleted.I was neither attacking the person or "calling them out". I really wanted to know the answer because I do not want to waste time if the family member doesn't want us to do anything. I have no idea why that would be, but wanted to make sure we weren't overstepping our bounds in case they were told not to speak with us (by CUE or LE).

Also, can I post if I made contact with someone outside of the family, such as news media or homeless shelters? I apologize for my confusion, but what seems OK in some threads in not OK in others and I want to be clear. If it's different for each thread could you post the rules for each thread seperatly so there's no confusion?

It depends on if the family member is "verified". If they are verified, yes. If they are not verified, they are not officially declared a family member at all and then we go into the realm of possible rumor. There are a lot of people who claim to be someone they are not, so that's the reason.

Members contacting family members after the fact is a tough call for Websleuths. We do not want our members upsetting families - they are in enough pain. We also don't want our member misrepresenting Websleuths. The best thing to do is contact Websleuths management at wbsleuth@xmission.com and explain your involvement and let administration make a determination. They will declare the member verified and that way there aren't any misunderstandings.

BTW, if a new poster is stating they are a family or friend of a victim and are not verified, please kindly guide them to this thread ----->[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167277"]Rules Verification Process for Professional or Insider Posters - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]

It depends on if the family member is "verified". If they are verified, yes. If they are not verified, they are not officially declared a family member at all and then we go into the realm of possible rumor. There are a lot of people who claim to be someone they are not, so that's the reason.

Members contacting family members after the fact is a tough call for Websleuths. We do not want our members upsetting families - they are in enough pain. We also don't want our member misrepresenting Websleuths. The best thing to do is contact Websleuths management at wbsleuth@xmission.com and explain your involvement and let administration make a determination. They will declare the member verified and that way there aren't any misunderstandings.

Hope that helps!

Thanks, Kimster. I never thought about someone portraying themselves as a family member when in fact they may not be. It's twistedthat anyone would do that, but it makes sense not to speak to them AS a family member until they're verified.

In the case I'm referring to the family did come on the radio show here so they obviously knew about WS and we felt that our help was welcomed.

As far as contacting anyone about certain elements of the case, I never mention WS. I always talk on my own behalf when contacting LE, the media, etc for updates and information. If I hear back from these people and they give me info I need to know if that info is ok to post. Example: If I call LE and ask if there are any active searches going on and they say "No" is it ok to report that or is that considered rumor? If we wait for MSM to comment on this case we'll never get anywhere. This is a 45 year old black man with special needs and apparently it's not the kind of story that sells ads. Sadly, even when a reporter wants to do a story on him, he/she is also hitting a brick wall with their bosses (who want to sell ads).

Thanks for your time, Kimster and you did clear things up a bit for me.

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You brought up an excellent issue that could cause miscommunication and that is the radio show. The Tricia's True Crime Radio is not a part of Websleuths LLC. So, if on the show people are invited to call a family member on a case, it doesn't mean that posting about those communications are allowed on Websleuths.

Again, please contact wbsleuth@xmission.com before posting anything behind the scenes on a case. You will get management direction on a case by case basis. It sounds to me like you've been very responsible.